Figure 1.--This Belgian boy wears a dark single-breasted kneepants suit for his First Communion in 1926. Note the fob on his jacket. Men wore these for watches. I am not sure if this was true for boys as well. Note his sailor hat on top the chair. Click on the image for a better view. |
This Belgian boy wears a dark single-breasted kneepants suit for his First Comminion in 1926. There are many interesting aspects of his outfit. He has straigt-accross bangs. He wears a white bow ith an unusual knot. He appears to be wearing a shirt with French cuffs. Note the fob on his jacket. Men wore these for watches. I am not sure if this was true for boys as well. He wears a conservative kneepants suit with black long stockings and oxford shoes. Also notice the dark gloves.
We have no information as to the identity of this boy. All we know is that the portrait was taken in 1926.
He has straigt-accross bangs, very neatly done. Mother must have fixed it perfectly just before the portrait was taken. I'm unsure at this time how common bangs were or boys in Belgium in the 1920s and what age boy wore bangs.
The boy's sailor cap and trailing stramers can be seen on the chir at his left. It is a dark soft cap matching the boy's suit. Click on theimage ( figure 1) for a better view of the boy's cap. We knew that boys wore sailor caps with sailor suits, but this images shows that sailor caps were worn with regulat suits as well.
This Belgian boy wears a dark single-breasted kneepants suit for his First Comminion. It has a very conservative 3-buuton jacketsuit with the lapel set rathrt high. He wears it with a large white handkerchief.
He wears kneeants. Note the buttons on the pants leg. I only see two, three were more common. Note the kneepants were cut above the knee. In the late-19th and early 20th century a longer cut were more common. By the 1920s, however, short pants were commonly worn in Belgium and thus many boys wore shorter cut kneepants than was common earlier.
He appears to be wearing a shirt with French cuffs. Look how the cuffs come together rather than overlap. When they button, the two must overlap, when a cufflink is used they come together as in this picture. Since cufflinks is older style (I think) it may have been considered dressier.
He wears a white bow ith an unusual knot. It is small compared to those worn in the late-19th centutry, but a good size for the 1920s.
Note the fob on his jacket. Men wore these for watches. I am not sure if this was true for boys as well.
He wore black long stockings. This was common for boys wearing kneepants suits for First Comminion. It was considered appropriate for such a solemn occassion. Note that these are not the heavy long stockings worn for warmth. Rather these are dress long stockings worn for special occasions.
The boy wears black low-cut oxford shoes. This style in the 1920s was gradually replacing the high-top shoes that were commonmly worn in the 1910s.
Notice the gloves. Boys often wore gloves for First Communion. In France boys mostly wore white gloves. In Belgium we note boys wearing both white and dark gloves. A French reader reports that there was a strict etiquette concerning gloves. They would be worn outside, but upon entering some one's home they should be taken off and carried in the hands. In Church the etiquette was different. They could be worn, for example, in prayer.
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